Mormon Well Road

Total Miles
41.6

Technical Rating

Easy

Best Time

Spring, Summer, Fall

Trail Type

Full-Width Road

Accessible By

Trail Overview

Mormon Well is a stock-friendly trail that traverses the Desert National Wildlife Refuge. You will cross a well-maintained dirt road that rises in elevation from the desert floor to more than 6,000 feet in elevation. Along the way, you will see Joshua forests give way to groves of pine trees. Picnic and camping areas can be found at the trail's midway point. Enjoy the change of scenery and watch for wildlife. Big horn sheep, elk, and wild burros are commonly seen in the area. Winter does bring snow to the area, so check the weather before any travel.

Photos of Mormon Well Road

Want to see more?

Difficulty

This is a well-traveled dirt road, with passenger cars commonly seen on the trail.

Technical Rating

Status Reports

Up to the Desert Pass campground, this route is a 2, some sharp rocks in the trail but nothing else challenging. After the campground, it becomes more challenging and I would categorize it as a 3 given the long deep gravel washboards. In a lifted Subaru Outback we almost high-centered in one section but it was doable. This last section will earn you some nice pinstripes.

Snow at the campground area.

This trail is for licensed vehicles only. ATV’s and UTV’s are restricted.

My stock 2wd Honda did the whole thing in 4 hours. More clearance would’ve been nicer but at no point did i feel like I couldn’t proceed. I wouldn’t try in wet or inclement weather though. Coming from 95 and ending at 93 is recommended direction to have momentum to your advantage. 93 side is rougher. The last 15% or so was the only times I scraped a lot but this trail has a variety of scenery. Desert, forest, mountains, valley, and the terrain changes from dirt to gravel to sand to rocks. Speeds varies from < 10mph crawling to 45+mph comfortably. Pack a lunch and bring enough water.

Popular Trails

Cabin run via McAfee Road

Learn more about Cabin run via McAfee Road

Total Miles

24.3

Tech Rating

2 Easy

Best Time

Sp / Su / Fa

Rebel Canyon Loop

Learn more about Rebel Canyon Loop

Total Miles

9.5

Tech Rating

2 Easy

Best Time

Sp / Su / Fa

Cutting Through the Jawa Canyon

Learn more about Cutting Through the Jawa Canyon

Total Miles

12.9

Tech Rating

4 Moderate

Best Time

Wi / Fa / Sp

Pants Trail East

Learn more about Pants Trail East

Total Miles

3.5

Tech Rating

2 Easy

Best Time

The onX Offroad Difference

onX Offroad combines trail photos, descriptions, difficulty ratings, width restrictions, seasonality, and more in a user-friendly interface. Available on all devices, with offline access and full compatibility with CarPlay and Android Auto. Discover what you’re missing today!